When a vehicle has been in an accident, it is common for the frame, in the case of vehicles having a frame, or the unibody to be bent or deformed. It is well known that it is necessary to straighten the portions of the frame or unibody in order to affect an acceptable repair. As used herein in connection with repairing a damaged vehicle, the term “straighten” refers to returning one or more portions of a vehicle closer to its original configuration than the configuration it was in prior to starting the repair. The term “straighten” when used in this context does not necessarily indicate that the portion of the vehicle being repaired is made to be linear.
It is common in the vehicle repair industry to attach a powerful hydraulic straightening device to one or more portions of a vehicle utilizing a clamp which is attached directly to the vehicle and to a chain which connects the clamp to the straightening device. To the best knowledge of the inventor, the jaws of previously known clamps of the prior art have been straight and have also been formed with unitary jaws, i.e., two relatively movable “jaw” pieces which each comprise gripping surface formed of a unitary element. As used herein, the term “jaw” is used to indicate one side of the portion of the clamp which is used to grasp a portion of the vehicle. Thus, it will be understood that a clamp requires at least two jaws which are tightened onto the portion of the vehicle to which force will be exerted by the pulling device. Many portions of a vehicle, to which it would be desirable to apply a force during vehicle repair, are not linear, but rather are formed by the intersection of two portions meeting at an angle or are curved. It would, therefore, be desirable to provide one or more clamps shaped to grasp angled and/or curved portions of a damaged vehicle.